> These things and similar things happen. All. The. Time.
Given 137 train derailments involving damage to hazmat cars per year, it's almost guaranteed (probability = 0.99916946629083) that any given year will have at least one week with 5 or more derailments where hazmat cars are damaged.
First, a bit disappointed that chemical spills are presented as happening all the time, the chemical industry continues to work hard to minimize spills and have quick response. The number of major chemical spills has been decreasing over the last 10 years and will continue to decrease. Collaborative relations with the EPA and local authorities help. While the railroad is separate from the chemical companies, the companies do pressure for responsible practices which result in the decrease in incidents. In all EH&S we drive to zero and hope nobody feels comfortable with incidents being something that "happens all the time", because they don't and industry is working hard for them to be even less frequent.
Funny the comment on Phenol, yes it is toxic also it is used in a lot of applications (truly a commodity), it is also in some lip balm...yes at low concertation it is directly applied to the skin (Camphorated phenol (camphor 10.8% and phenol 4.7%) ).
Alas! The modern story of people willing to pay for quantity but not quality! It is an interesting exercise to think about the conditions that people/society need to start valuing quality more broadly. Part of the challenge is that quality takes time/attention to appreciate, and time is a limited resource.
They should manufacture the vinyl chloride into PVC at the same place where it’s made. Then ship the PVC if they have to. Maybe not ship it in such big tanks or across such rickety rails. Are they too goddamn cheap to pay a couple of Mexicans under the table to fix the rails?!
Shouldn’t it be cheaper to ship PVC than VCM? And cheaper to make PVC with VCM that didn’t need to be shipped to the PVC making site? When a chemical has basically 1 application, that chemical is dangerous to ship, and it’s cheaper to keep that chemical captive on site, then why should we ship it at all?
https://youtu.be/mfio0aSQr94. Two bit da Vinci did a post on this which the financial backing was interesting.
> These things and similar things happen. All. The. Time.
Given 137 train derailments involving damage to hazmat cars per year, it's almost guaranteed (probability = 0.99916946629083) that any given year will have at least one week with 5 or more derailments where hazmat cars are damaged.
(Trust but verify! Calculation: https://twitter.com/josecamoessilva/status/1626561687087112200 )
First, a bit disappointed that chemical spills are presented as happening all the time, the chemical industry continues to work hard to minimize spills and have quick response. The number of major chemical spills has been decreasing over the last 10 years and will continue to decrease. Collaborative relations with the EPA and local authorities help. While the railroad is separate from the chemical companies, the companies do pressure for responsible practices which result in the decrease in incidents. In all EH&S we drive to zero and hope nobody feels comfortable with incidents being something that "happens all the time", because they don't and industry is working hard for them to be even less frequent.
Funny the comment on Phenol, yes it is toxic also it is used in a lot of applications (truly a commodity), it is also in some lip balm...yes at low concertation it is directly applied to the skin (Camphorated phenol (camphor 10.8% and phenol 4.7%) ).
Alas! The modern story of people willing to pay for quantity but not quality! It is an interesting exercise to think about the conditions that people/society need to start valuing quality more broadly. Part of the challenge is that quality takes time/attention to appreciate, and time is a limited resource.
They should manufacture the vinyl chloride into PVC at the same place where it’s made. Then ship the PVC if they have to. Maybe not ship it in such big tanks or across such rickety rails. Are they too goddamn cheap to pay a couple of Mexicans under the table to fix the rails?!
Shouldn’t it be cheaper to ship PVC than VCM? And cheaper to make PVC with VCM that didn’t need to be shipped to the PVC making site? When a chemical has basically 1 application, that chemical is dangerous to ship, and it’s cheaper to keep that chemical captive on site, then why should we ship it at all?